Salem Offshore Wind Terminal Vision Hopes To Defy Trump's Attempts To Block It

SALEM, MA — Nine months after state, local and industry officials celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal that Gov. Maura Healey declared that day was "critical to our state and reaching our climate goals," the immediate future of the project in some doubt with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell this week joining a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over what the AGs called "its unlawful attempt to freeze the development of wind energy."

President Donald Trump said during the campaign that he intended to halt the offshore wind industry in favor of more traditional energy production, and in January issued a memorandum that indefinitely stops the federal approvals necessary for the development of projects.

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AG Campbell said in filing the lawsuit on Monday that "my colleagues and I will continue to challenge this administration's unlawful actions to chill investment and growth of this critical industry."

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo told Patch that the city is "continuing the efforts necessary to advance that vision" and that he's "encouraged to know that our state partners share that positive commitment."

"I'm grateful to the attorney general for standing up for our clean energy future and the future of offshore wind in Massachusetts, specifically," Pangallo said in a statement to Patch on Wednesday. "The port development in Salem is important for diversifying and future-proofing our economy both locally and regionally."

The lawsuit states that Trump's directive harms their states' efforts to secure "reliable, diversified, and affordable sources of energy to meet their increasing demand for electricity and help reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, meet clean energy goals, and address climate change."

It adds that the directive also threatens the states' "significant investments in wind industry infrastructure, supply chains, and workforce development — investments that already total billions of dollars."

In February 2024, Salem finalized a $9 million Community Benefits Agreement between the city and Crowley Wind Services that includes nearly $4 million in education investments, $2.5 million in first responder training, equipment and support, $500,000 in initial climate action funding and $250,000 to support alternative fireworks for community celebrations.

The terminal is set to be the hub of staging for the wind turbines that will be shipped offshore, with a promise to include about 150 jobs during construction, with an additional 20 to 30 jobs operating and maintaining the facility during busier periods.

Crowley also partnered with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Salem High School to provide career training for these new "blue economy" jobs.

"Here in Salem, and across the North Shore, we know full well the importance of this industry and its potential to improve our economy, support manufacturers, and create good-paying jobs," Pangallo told Patch. "This industry will also help us to secure American energy independence, increase maritime commerce, and move towards a safe and sustainable future."

Driscoll, the former Salem mayor who led municipal efforts to bring Crowley to the Witch City before resigning to run for statewide office in 2022, said the wind terminal is the evolution of a property with a complicated history in the city dating back to the 1950s.

"When the (coal) power plant came to Salem, it brought jobs," she said in August. "It brought pollution too, even if folks didn't know it at the time. I can't think of a better place to be the next epicenter of Massachusetts' clean energy industry."

The attorneys general are asking the court to declare Trump's directive illegal and prevent the administration from taking any action to delay or prevent wind energy development.

Joining AG Campbell in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)